WANDERERS’ tie-up with the University of Bolton looks set to extend way beyond the name on the front of the stadium.

The long-term sponsorship agreement will see the university replace Macron in the first deal of its kind in the Football League.

But along with the obvious financial benefit to the club – the size of which has been kept tightly under wraps - there will be perks for Phil Parkinson’s side in being able to access facilities which may have otherwise been out of reach.

The University of Bolton has shared its resources with Manchester United, Manchester City and Wigan Athletic and enjoyed an informal working relationship with the town team.

In the light of the stadium naming deal, however, Wanderers’ medical and sports science staff will be given access to state-of-the-art equipment to track players’ fitness and help with injury prevention.

The Athlete Development Centre at the £31million Bolton One has already been utilised by England Athletics and will provide the background for testing at three stages – pre-season, mid-season and post-season.

The information gained will be of benefit to Wanderers’ medical department in tailoring individual players’ workloads and training routines, but also available to students for their own research.

Injured players will also have use to technologies which would help their recovery – while the club has also agreed to a number of six and 12-month student placements to help give students practical experience and the use of some facilities at Lostock.

Wanderers’ players may also benefit from the university’s work on sports psychology or expertise at the spinal injury clinic, based in the facility of Health and Wellbeing.

Ultimately, the university hope Wanderers’ global appeal will help them attract students, especially if they can break back into the big time in the foreseeable future.

Between 2002 and 2006 the number of Nigerian students studying in Bolton spiked by 38 per cent – coinciding with the stay of a certain Jay Jay Okocha.

Former commercial director Gareth Moores suggested in 2011 that having a Premier League team in the town was worth up to £35million for the local economy. And though businesses put on a brave face when Wanderers did drop into the Championship a year later, the whole town’s economic relationship with its football club is symbiotic.

With hopes high this season that Parkinson’s side can start to push up the Championship table and build towards the future, Ken Anderson hopes the relationship will work out successfully for everyone involved.

“We are extremely proud of this strategic long-term partnership with the University of Bolton,” he said. “Like us, they are at the heart of the community and play a vital role in flying the flag for our great town.

“We will be honoured to display their brand on our stadium which will help them reach out to a wider audience.”

Professor George Holmes President and Vice Chancellor of the university, added: “The deal will enable students studying Sports Science to have an opportunity to help assess sportsmen and women in a professional environment which will greatly enhance their learning.

“They will have access to the state-of-the-art facilities and specialist expertise at the club with an opportunity to develop a real-world understanding of their subject in a professional environment; invaluable for our students as they seek employment further down the line.”